


Someday They'll Be Talking About Me

by parkneroses



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Academic Decathlon Team, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), F/M, Field Trip, Gen, Irondad, M/M, Michelle Jones Is a Good Bro, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, No Whump, Peter Parker Can Wield Mjolnir, Peter Parker Can't Thermoregulate, eventually, far from home never happened, irondad and his spiderson, that's the point of the fic, the blip isn't a thing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-25 16:40:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19749649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parkneroses/pseuds/parkneroses
Summary: Why had Peter exposed his Achilles ankle to the gods above, with faith and trust, only for them to bash at it repeatedly with a razor scooter? What could he possibly have done in a previous life to deserve this kind of sick torture? He could only imagine his life was being used as entertainment for some neurotic deity. Because that's sure what it felt like.or, Peter's Academic Decathlon team are going on a field trip to Avengers Tower and he isNOThappy about it.(rated teen because i have a potty mouth)





	1. I Bet My Ignorance Is Always Bliss

“-Tonight but I cannot baby girl, and that's the issue, girl you know I miss you, I just wanna kiss you, but I can't right now, so baby kiss me through the phone-” Peter’s enthusiastic body rolls were interrupted by the sound of sharp raps on the door to his lab. 

“Karen, who’s there?” He spoke into the air.

“It appears that Mr Stark has been trying to reach your phone for the last ten minutes,” she replied, somewhat dejectedly. At least, with as much negative emotion as an AI could communicate. 

Peter sputtered. “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“I assumed you were ignoring it on purpose. You’ve been avoiding Boss ever since he last asked you about Flash,” said Karen. Peter rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he made his way to the door. Though before he could reach his arm out, the door swung open itself. Behind it, Tony Stark stood looking disgruntled in his grease-stained sweatpants and baggy Stark Industries t-shirt. Peter rolled his eyes at Karen’s antics and he took a step back to let Tony into the room.

“Kid. I’ve been calling you for the last ten minutes. What’s with the awkward side-stepping? Did I say something? Or is this some teenager thing I don’t understand due to the fact that I’ve always had superior intellect?” Tony asked, attempting to keep a straight face. Peter saw right through him. As much as he knew Mr Stark liked to pretend he was a narcissist, Peter knew he only did it to reassure himself of his achievements. He smiled sadly to himself at the thought that even the Tony Stark felt inadequate sometimes.

“Uh- no, Mr Stark, I just didn’t hear my phone ringing, I was listening to music.” At the mention of music, Karen helpfully raised the volume once again. 

Tony grimaced but didn’t comment on Peter’s choice of song. “Whatever you say, kiddo. Pep wants you down for dinner at seven,” he said, circling around to walk back out the door. Before he left the room he carefully rested his arm on the doorframe and turned his head to face Peter. “And then we’re talking about this Flash kid. Happy told me he saw that punk yelling at you and your friends when you left school today”

Peter groaned. “Mr Stark, it’s fine. He’s just annoying, nothing he says actually hurts.” That was a lie. Sure, Peter stopped letting the petty comments about his intelligence or his appearance get to him around the time he started working with the Avengers, figuring that he had more important things to worry about. But every now and then, Flash would say something that really rubbed him the wrong way. Luckily, the last time the bully had decided to mention Peter’s parents- or lack thereof, MJ had put a stop to it real quick with a glare that could melt flesh. 

Tony shrugged and left the room with a dramatic sigh, and a faint, “Kids these days.” muttered under his breath as he made his way to the elevator.

*

“I don’t get kids Pep. He has no reason not to tell me what’s going on.” Tony complained, head falling into his hands that were rested on the kitchen island he was seated at. Pepper finished pressing buttons on the microwave and turned around to face Tony, propping herself up on the counter. 

“In all fairness Tony, he’s not exactly a normal kid. I mean that with no malice at all- poor thing’s been through a lot. Plus, he’s a genius and he has spider superpowers. I don’t think he’s a fair example of your average sixteen-year-old boy.” She smiled good-naturedly. “Although I’m not a prime source of parenting advice. As hard as I try, that’s definitely more May’s expertise” Pepper continued. She nodded her head in the direction of the private elevator that could take him to the floor where May’s living quarters were. 

Tony lifted his head slightly to rest his chin on his arms and stared at Pepper for a good minute before taking out his phone and tapping on May’s contact. Pepper sighed at her fiancé’s languor. Right before the call would have rung out, it was answered.

“Hello?”

“Yes, hello May. Your presence is requested in the kitchen on 63” Tony said into the phone, scratching at a mark on the table in front of him. Pepper tutted, and took the phone away from him to bring it up to her own ear.

“Sorry about him. We’d love for you to come up here for dinner with us, of course, but Tony would like to talk to you about something Peter-related first before he gets down from his lab. I have no problem kicking him out of my kitchen if you’re busy, so he can get off his lazy ass and come down to you instead” Pepper said. May chuckled, and Pepper could imagine her shaking her head softly in the way the Parkers were prone to do when they found something amusing.

“It’s not a problem at all Pepper, I’m on my way up now. See you in a minute” May said before hanging up the phone.

Pepper returned the phone to Tony, who proceeded to mumble to himself about how he was ‘so underappreciated in this family’. 

*

May grimaced, and pressed her body weight further into the expensive faux suede couch she was sitting on. Flash Thompson- the name triggered nothing but disdain for her. The last time she had met him was during Peter’s sophomore year science fair. He had presented an impressive, yet morally questionable project that (as far as she could remember) had something to do with cats and electricity, before calling his friends over to Peter’s table to mock him for something or other. Peter had assured her that the taunting was a rare occurrence. She didn’t completely believe him, but Peter hadn’t mentioned the kid in months, so she had sort of assumed he was right.

Though Tony seemed to have something different to say about the situation.

“And then I turned around to put my coffee down on the bench and he just froze up- like he hadn’t meant to tell me, or he was embarrassed or something. I mean, it made sense to me then that he’d be embarrassed- he’s Spider-Man and he got beat up by a kid in school. It makes no sense. But then I realised, _he got beat up by a kid in school and this was the first I heard of it._ ” Tony’s tone mellowed considerably towards the end of his rant. “Did you know? And not tell me? I’m sure you had your reasons for not telling me, I’m not trying to accuse you of anything, but he’s an Avenger, and this could seriously impact how he performs on missions- also, his internship, in the lab, surrounded by dangerous chemicals and heavy machinery. I just really think I should have been told about this. And not by the kid himself, by accident of all ways. I- I just-”

The end of his sentence drifted off. May set her cup of tea down on the coffee table in front of her. It suddenly tasted all too bitter, the remnants of milk and sugar sitting uncomfortably in her mouth as she felt her tongue start to dry. She looked down at her thumbs as she twiddled them, a nervous habit she had picked up from Ben when they first started dating. 

“I didn’t know.”

“You didn’t know.”

“I… no.” May let out a quiet sigh as she looked up at Tony. “I mean, I knew about it when it first started. Fourth grade. Had a talk with the principal and Therese- the kid’s mom, she didn’t seem to care much. Figured he was just acting out for attention ‘cause it didn’t seem like he got much of that at home. He was never in Peter’s class anyway, and I guess having his mom come in for a meeting freaked him out enough that he backed off for a while,” May said, Rolling her shoulders in an attempt to relieve the tension she’d had since Tony began his little rant. “Every couple of weeks Peter would come home with a bad bruise, or he’d tell me his backpack was missing again. He told me he was just clumsy- I never should have believed him. Though I don’t know how much of that was from Spider-Manning. Doesn’t matter. It was so stupid of me to assume.”

Tony placed his hand on her knee- she hadn’t realised she’d been bouncing it so vigorously as she spoke.

“It’s not your fault, May. Lord knows how much he tries to hide how clumsy he is in the lab, I’m not blind though. Bins full of broken glass more often than not. Kid’s graceless as a golden retriever in stilettos. You weren’t crazy to believe him.” He took a seat in the corner of the L couch. “We’ll do something about it. Nothing to worry about.” He said although he sounded thoroughly unconvinced. Not that it mattered- Tony was kind of known for his very-last-second masterful plans. He'd figure something out.

Their sorry conversation was interrupted by Pepper’s head peeking around the edge of the kitchen door into the living room.

“Dinner, guys.”


	2. I Felt So Alone, Lucky Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who left comments on the first chapter! I was not expecting people to actually like this (seeing as it’s been sitting in my google docs for a month and a half and I wrote most of it at 4 am) but the positive response is so motivating. 
> 
> And, if you want more like this, you can find me on Tumblr @parkneroses! I'm taking requests for ficlets, though it might take me a minute to get through them as this story is still my main priority.
> 
> Enough with the self-promo, here's chapter 2! I hope you love it!

“I know you don’t want me to kid. Doesn’t mean I’m gonna listen to you or do what you say” Tony said, before shovelling a forkful of lasagna into his mouth. Peter dropped his head into his hands and sighed.

“Mr Stark, I don’t think you get it. There’s literally no way this would make anything better. Flash is just gonna hate me ten times more if he finds out I got an internship and he couldn’t get one.”

Flash. Every time May heard the name, her grip on her fork tightened. Pepper seemed to notice this from beside her and gently reached out to rub May’s arm soothingly.

Tony scoffed. “You get to shove it in these asshole kids’ faces that you have an internship with the previous owner of a Fortune 500 company. And that you’re being mentored personally by him. Him who is me. You get what I mean.” He continued to stuff his face with lasagna, albeit stiffly. 

Peter rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, but as soon as I get home that’s over, and it’s fair game for Flash to take his anger out on me. You can’t seriously think a stern talking to will shut Flash up, he’s been doing this since the fourth grade. No teacher has ever cared. He won’t stop unless you, like, give him an internship or something. Even then, he’d probably try and find a way to rub it in my face with his fists. It’s hopeless.” Peter said between bites. He didn’t have to look up to notice that all eyes on the table were on him. “What?” He asked.

May bit back a smirk. “It’s a good idea, you’re just being… a drama queen. I know you didn’t get that from me. You wear sunglasses everywhere and live on caffeine instead of sleep, and now _this?_ ” 

Peter looked around the table in confusion. Pepper chuckled delicately, and Peter’s neck snapped up to look at her. 

“You’re like Tony, but… smaller,” Pepper said, no longer able to hold back her giggles. May joined in too, their chuckles morphing into full-on laughter the more they looked between the two boys at the table. 

“I wear the sunglasses for my senses!” Peter exclaimed at the same time as Tony asked, “Did you just call me a drama queen?”

*

The cab slowed to a crawl as it approached Avengers Tower. The driver craned his head back to look at the scruffy teenager who was sitting alone in the backseat. 

“You sure this is where yer’ meant ‘a be?” he asked. Of course, it wasn’t his place to question _why_ exactly his passengers were going to wherever they were going, but this particular case seemed a little off. The kid’s face remained blank, so he cleared his throat, and asked: “You got parents workin’ here or somethin’?” 

The kid looked down at his hands- absolutely covered in calluses. He couldn’t be older than sixteen, seventeen, lord knows how he ended up with those. “How much is it?” the kid mumbled, voice much deeper than expected.

The driver momentarily forgot his purpose in this whole ordeal. 

“He speaks! How much is what?”

“... Cab fare?” The kid asked, puzzled by the strange reaction to his question.

“Ah, sorry. Slipped my mind for a sec, ya’ almost got lucky so ya’ did. Twenty-six fifty, plus a tip if yer’ feelin’ friendly,” said the driver, wiggling his eyebrows. 

The kid stuck his hand in the pocket of his faded blue jeans and pulled out a couple of crumpled notes, along with some receipts and a gum wrapper. Shoving two twenties in the driver’s open hand, he murmured, “keep the change” as he pushed the car door open and followed it out. 

Content with the generous tip, the cab driver left.

*

“ID?” asked the taller of the two security guards stationed at the entrance to the tower.

The kid looked down at him and frowned. “I didn’t know I needed ID to get through the front door. Security update?” 

The guard sighed. It was much harder to intimidate people when they were taller than you, that was common knowledge. It had been a long day anyway.

“Yeah, Hogan’s pretty particular about who’s allowed in the lobby. Some incident with the chandelier I think? I wasn’t there. It’s nothing official, we’re just supposed to ask for ID from unfamiliar faces. No worries.” Said the guard. What damage could a grumpy teenager really do, other than maybe track muddy footprints on the floor. He decided to let it slide. “Visiting a family member?” 

“Y-yeah, I guess- Yes. Yes, I am.” The kid stuttered out. The guard moved to the side to let the teenager through the door. 

His co-worker turned to him, ignoring the short queue that was developing in front of them.

“You sure that was a good idea?” 

He shook his head lightly. “He looked like he hadn’t slept in a week. Plus the ratty converse and the baby blue shirt don’t exactly make him look intimidating. If Hogan checks him, he checks him. It's outta my hands.”

They both turned to the next people in their lines, resuming their jobs.

*  
The lobby of Avengers Tower was nothing short of breathtaking. Not even seeing it every day- or all day in Happy’s case, could make him stop appreciating it. His phone dinged- probably Friday notifying him that the kid had arrived. Happy strolled leisurely across the white-and-peach marble floors to the huge metal detectors that stood before the all-embracing glass front doors. He could feel the heat of the sun as it set on the back of his neck, as it streamed through the arched windows that were some 25 feet up the wall. Despite the shit he gave Tony for it, he seriously loved working in the lobby of the tower. It was a manifestation of architectural expertise, presenting Tony’s wealth in a far more elaborate, classier manner than the high tech equipment in the labs. 

Happy shook his head to break himself out of his stupor. He side-stepped through the gap between two metal detectors to find the kid, who was standing in front of the door somewhat awkwardly- yet with his shoulders raised slightly and his back straight as a rod. It was a fairly difficult mixture of emotions to convey, but he seemed to be doing just fine at it. 

Happy tapped the kid on the shoulder. 

“Kid.”

The kid jumped in his skin and raised his head to look at Happy.

“Elevator’s this way. Skip the metal detectors.” Happy said, manoeuvring the kid through the crowd with a firm grip on his shoulder. The kid looked relieved, which gave Happy a funny feeling in his stomach. “Don’t make me regret that kid, I know where you’re from. You’re seventeen, you better not be packing.”

“Oh, no, of course not. No guns here, only peace n’ love” The kid grinned. Happy sighed, and pointed him to the private elevator at the end of the right wall. 

“Get in there before I regret letting you in this building,” Happy said, but there was no real annoyance in his voice. If anything, he found the kid’s wit and charm somewhat endearing. 

“You wouldn’t,” the kid said as he stepped into the elevator. Happy knew it was a joke, but that didn’t change the fact that he most definitely _would_. 

“Friday, take him up,” Happy said, turning his back as the door closed. He pretended to ignore the feint, “See ya later Happy!” as the kid whizzed up to some lab or living room. 

And if it put a little smile on his face, no one had to know. 

*

“... Tony.”

“Captain.”

“There’s a … kid”

“Man, I know that super-soldier stuff they gave you guys messed you up, but I didn’t think it was _this_ bad. Tell Barnes I’m hosting the baby shower” Tony snickered as he came out of the kitchen to see Captain America standing in the middle of the living room, making intense eye contact with a kid who was peeking over the back of the couch.

“Ah, that makes more sense. Cap, meet Harley. Harley, this is Captain America” Tony said, walking over to the couch. Harley seemed to break out of the daze he was in and shot up out of the seat. He stumbled over to Tony, and just about collapsed in his arms.

“Tony,” Harley breathed out. His voice was muffled by the no doubt expensive sweater he had just buried his face into. Tony quickly wrapped his arms around Harley’s large frame and pulled him close. 

“It’s gonna be okay kid. Better than okay. You’ll be staying on my floor- unless you want one to yourself because that can be arranged easily, we just assumed you might not want to be alone- and you can still visit home whenever you want, there’s a car waiting for you in the garage if you want to brave the drive, and there's the quinjet if you ever need to pop back in an emergency- it can get you there in an hour and a half, and your mom and sister are always welcome here for a visit if it ever gets too much. You’ll be just fine, _caro_.” He mumbled to Harley as he ran his fingers through the curly blond locks to try and calm the kid down. 

Every couple of seconds, the kid would let out another muffled sob. He was tall- easily over six feet, yet he arched his back and fit his head so neatly into Tony's chest. Steve stood fixed to the ground, watching the spectacle before him. Rude as it sounded, he always imagined Stark would be repulsed by kids, or emotions or whatever was going on right now- it didn't look right.

Except it kind of did. When he thought about it, Tony had never had an issue with Peter. He was always patient, and happy to take part in Peter’s never-ending energetic banter. One time when Steve had walked in on them in the lab, he watched them throw big fancy scientific words and formulas back and forth at lightning speed. Tony also always made sure the kid was in bed on time, and was a lot more diligent in forcing Parker to eat more than a thousand calories a day than he was with himself. Maybe at first glance, this would seem out of character for Tony, but it wasn’t. He’d always been good with kids.

That still didn’t explain who this particular kid was, or why exactly he was heaving into Tony’s chest. Steve figured he could maybe get an explanation later, and leave now before either of them turned back to him. He knew it went didn’t exactly fit the All American Golden Boy™ image that was expected of him, but he was never particularly good with kids. He’d come back later and figure out what was going on here. That was probably safest. Neither of the others in the room noticed as he slinked out of the door leading into the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments mean the world to me, so don't be afraid to leave one and tell me what you think!


End file.
